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Our auto accident lawyers aren’t immune to the headaches of heavy traffic. We commute just like you do, and when we’re stuck on Interstate 5 in bumper to bumper traffic, we wonder, “Can’t anything be done about this?”
The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has proposed six lane additions to I-5 in order to reduce auto accidents and create a better flow of traffic.
Caltrans and SANDAG will be conducting a series of public meetings to get opinions of six new lanes to add to Interstate 5 between Oceanside and San Diego. The additions would ease traffic and reduce auto accidents between La Jolla Village Drive and north Oceanside. Estimated costs range from $3.3 to $4.5 billion depending on the number of lanes built and how the layout will be designed.
The additions on Interstate 5 would consist of four lanes in the middle of the freeway similar to express lanes on Interstate 15 with another two lanes added to the regular part of the freeway. The project goes through six cities and will require about 40 bridges and overpasses. Over 1,500 homes will be graced with noise-reduction walls so construction doesn’t get too loud for residents.
According to figures from Caltrans, an average of 700,000 vehicles ride on the 30-mile stretch between San Diego and Oceanside. Agency officials expect that number to grow to a million cars by 2030, which could potentially lead to hundreds more rear-end auto accidents, a problem that slows the flow of traffic on a daily basis.
Freeway sensors show the worst rush-hour areas of 2009 were on southbound I-5 at Oceanside Boulevard, northbound at Via de la Valle in Del Mar and northbound at Lomas Santa Fe in Solana Beach. Last year’s data show that 132 days recorded heavy congestion along the Oceanside Boulevard stretch of I-5.
With the summer around the corner, Interstate 5 will get even more packed with northern beach traffic as well as activity for the San Diego County Fair and the Del Mar races. Councilman Jerome Stocks of Encinitas, a member of the SANDAG board of directors believes residents will be appreciative of the project.
“I have people coming to me all the time and saying, ‘When are you going to fix this?'” Stocks said. “The congestion wait times are out of whack.”
Auto accidents caused by freeway congestion are a huge concern of any major city, and our auto accident lawyers in San Diego are no strangers to the dangers of heavy traffic. As expensive as this addition to Interstate 5 is, we believe it’s worth the the money if the end result is fewer auto accidents and better flow of traffic.
Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 for a FREE consultation with an experienced San Diego auto accident lawyer or click here to submit your case for a FREE online review.
SENIOR PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY & FIRM FOUNDER
Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1987. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes how insurance companies work and how they decide how much to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael’s inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents. Learn more about Michael Pines